The Diana Fritillary…a Miracle of God

August 4, 2017

It has happened again. I have once again been reminded of God’s love in such a simple way. You see, I was busy doing yard work. Where I live, if you are in charge of a yard of almost any size, there is no need for a membership to one of those health clubs. All that is necessary is a few hours of outside summer work, not that vigorous mind you, and the pounds will melt away. Well, I was sweating away and there it was. I wasn’t looking for it but it couldn’t be missed. A butterfly landed just a few feet from where I was working. There was no option but to stop what I was doing and take in the beauty of the small creature. He sat there for minutes, working his wings slowly back and forth. Did he/she know I was watching him/her?

I don’t know a lot about butterflies, but whenever this happens everything else stops and God comes to mind. Did God send this butterfly to remind me of his mercy and glory? I don’t know but it always has that effect.

I had seen this type before but, just like people, they are all different. This one had a bit more orange at the edge of its wings than I have seen before. It was decided that the name of this type of butterfly would be researched.

How can one not appreciate this awesome creation of God? There is a great debate whether it even is a creation of God. I have never understood that question but atheists and theologians spend hours on why people like me don’t understand the debate.

The butterfly is like many things in life, it can be seen for its simpleness or for its complexity. There is nothing wrong with the two but humans tend to either under or overthink things. I’ve found an attempt at staying somewhere in the middle keeps me sane.

It is important to come to a conclusion about the origin of the butterfly. What one thinks about it will affect one’s entire view of the world. The butterfly reminds me that the Gospel message has levels of complexity. That God loved us enough to send Jesus to pay for our sins is something that most children can get some sort of grasp on. Yet, theologians spend hours on just how God has saved us. There are certainly enough questions on subjects like, justification, sanctification, free-will, predestination, evil, heaven, hell, and the list goes on and on and is enough to keep any student of the Bible busy for a lifetime.

There are those who think the butterfly is the result of some sort of evolutionary process. They spend hours and hours trying to figure out ways that it could have appeared.

The butterfly makes things simple for me for a wonderful moment of time. All the questions disappear in appreciation of the alluring little glider. The focus is on the creation. It moves so peacefully and seems so delicate. Then I remember the complex process the small critter went through to take its current form. Anyone who has read much of this blog knows my opinion. Like the butterfly, Christians are the result of a creative process that continues until the day we die. There is a God. We have been created in His image. God loves mankind so much that he sent his only begotten Son to die so that we might live.

I thank God for that little butterfly.

Chris Reimers

Note: The butterfly that was seen today is known as The Diana Fritillary, the Official State Butterfly of Arkansas.

“The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” Psalm 19:1

First sightings of this butterfly in Hot Springs, Arkansas:

2022…July 1
2026…April 8

6 Comments | Creation, Education, LIFE, theology | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Chris

Join the Global Facebook Challenge: Norway, return Tyler to Amy

July 20, 2017

For the second year in a row, the effort to raise awareness about a stolen American Child is taking place. I am joining the effort for the second year now and, oops, my picture from this challenge from last year is still up on Facebook. I plan to change it sometime in the next week. Thank you to my FB friend and brother in Christ Bjo Ern for all of the effort he has put into helping this loving mother get her son back. Here are Bjorn’s simple directions if you wish you be a part of a growing protest:

On July 23rd 2013 the Norwegian Child Welfare Services took Tyler away from his loving mother Amy Jakobsen over a breastfeeding issue. States have no right to permanently remove Children from their families without compelling reasons in extraordinary circumstances.

On July 23rd 2017 (this Sunday) let’s tell Norway to return the boy where he belongs:

1. Print out the PDF sign “Norway return Tyler to Amy”. Have a picture of you taken with it, and then publish it as your Facebook profile picture. Important: add the Hashtag #FreeTyler and tag the Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, so that she would get aware of what’s happening on that day.

Get the PDF sign here (right click, save as):
https://freetylercom.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/freetyler_poster.pdf

2. Invite your friends to this campaign (“invite” Button)

3. Write a post where you nominate at least two of your Facebook friends to participate.

If you’re not yet familiar with the case you may want to check here:
http://www.FreeTyler.com

FACEBOOK CHALLENGE

————————————————–

Amy’s story is one of three I am following in “Recent Accounts of Children Taken” at the top of this blog. It is very representative of the evil policies of certain “Child Protective Services.” Click on the link and scroll down to Amy’s story.

CR

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Norwegian Officials Steal Another Baby From His Loving Parents

July 19, 2017


By Steven Bennett

Norwegian couple, Sylvia (44) and Trond Rikard Ensby (40) thought that they would get some help when they stayed at a mother’s home in Norway, but instead, Norway’s Child Welfare System, barnevernet took away their precious baby boy, because he didn’t pass the baby IQ test.

The parents are a wonderful couple – AND ARE NOT criminals! There have a wonderful family around them as well, including Ruth, a heart broken grandmother who so dearly misses her only grandchild.

The court of appeal has now ruled that this mother and father will not see their precious baby boy again and their son has now been put up for adoption, without any of his relatives being considered.

There’s absolutely nothing in Sylvia’s history that says she had been diagnosed as mentally retarded. This is serious negligence in the system.

And, this is just one sick example that shows how Norway’s Child Welfare System, barnevernet is truly an evil, remorseless, oppressive, dysfunctional, child and family destroying system of terror!
Trond Rikard Ensby commented:

“Even though we were prepared, it was a shock to get the verdict, for us it is incomprehensible. The first few days after the sentence, I felt completely empty. The entire experience has been very tough, but we’ve been in it.”

Sylvia and Trond Rikard Ensby’s lawyer, Marie Sølverud is working on an appeal to the Supreme Court, and if necessary, they will proceed to the European Court of Human Rights. “We have nothing to lose and we must try all possibilities for our son’s sake.”

The couple’s lawyer, Marie Sølverud also states:
“It’s a very serious, sad and wrong judgment. The case will be appealed. I think it is hard to say anything about how the Supreme Court is going to deal with the matter. If it’s necessary, we will appeal to the ECHR (European Court of Human Rights).”

In the lawyer’s opinion, she strongly responded to the fact that the court did not take into account the reports of two expert psychologists, who believe the child should be returned to the parents.
Welcome to the Brave New World of Norway!
__________________________

My thoughts:

First, I would like to thank Steven Bennett for his unending battle to educate all of us about the evil Barnevernet (Norwegian Child Welfare Services). Steven is a Christian who lives in Austria and has become one of the best authorities on this subject outside of Norway.

Second, As events like this happen in Norway on a daily basis, I can’t say I’m surprised. Each new case, however, makes the Norwegian situation more horrific. As Steven has noted, this is evil, plain and simple.

Third, I saw Norwegian Prime Minister, Erna Solberg, standing behind President Trump at the recent G-20 summit. It was a little over a year ago that an online protest about the Barnevernet ended up on Ms. Solberg’s FB page. Hundreds of complaints were “voiced” and continued to pour in until the post was completely deleted. It was a conversation that got a bit heated but it should have been allowed to remain as many articulated their feelings about the NCWS. The Leaders of Norway know the problem. It remains to be seen if enough Norwegians and pressure from outside of Norway will be able to end these evil decisions.

Last, I wish my Norwegian friends to know that they are in my prayers. The two Norwegian situations that I have followed here, Ken’s and Amy’s, remain unresolved. Both stories are tragic and are representative of so many other sad stories coming out of a country that is supposed to be “one of the happiest places to live.” For those of you who followed Nadia and Caspian’s story here, they are doing very well and Caspian is thriving in the presence of his loving mother.

Chris Reimers

SOURCE (The story as it appears on Steven Bennett’s Facebook page)

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Was America Founded to be Secular?

July 4, 2017

I applaud PragerU for articulating the truth of America’s history. The men quoted here weren’t all necessarily Christians but they knew how important religion and particularly Judeo-Christian beliefs were to our society.  Joshua Charles makes an important distinction near the end of this video.  He says:

“The founders did not demand that anyone believe in any particular God – quite the contrary. But while they understood the value of a secular government, they feared a secular society – one without religion.  So should we.”

This distinction is important.  We are at the point in this country that mandating any religious practices by our government would be a mistake.  Polling shows that Americans with a Biblical worldview make up around 9% of our society.  Trying to mix government with religion at this point is unwise as all religions are now in consideration.  I always thought that Christian prayer in the schools in 1963 was a good thing.  However, because the percentage of believing Christians has dropped dramatically since then, I am against any such prayer.  Schools would create a prayer that was universalist in nature and that’s the last thing we want our children to hear on a daily basis.

CR

For a simple definition of a Biblical Worldview, you can click here.

9 Comments | BIG GOVERNMENT, Commentary, Education, Love of God, theology, Words that Uplift | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
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Justification by Faith

June 26, 2017

Few can explain things like the Prince of Preachers.

CR

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A regrettable decision to “dialogue” with spiritually deadly error

June 21, 2017

I’ve spent a bit of time on this particular issue lately. Tom of excatholic4Christ has written an excellent post which mirrors my position on this topic. I’ve had to criticize the young Christian apologist Keith Thompson for a picture he put up with one of his videos on this topic but I think Keith is correct about the main issue. Tom confronts the same issue in his post.

Tom's avatarexcatholic4christ

Thanks to Chris at Wings of the Wind for his indirect contributions to this post.

In my last “Weekend Roundup” post, I commented on a recent “dialogue” session held in Idaho featuring evangelical and Mormon apologists. The purpose of that dialogue was to promote understanding between the two “parties” and find common ground. Argh! I’m definitely of the opinion that evangelical apologists should debate false religionists rather than dialogue with them. Accommodation and cooperation with error are slippery slopes that always lead to compromise and betrayal of the Gospel. Try to imagine the apostle Paul endeavoring to dialogue with the priests of 1st-century Roman paganism in order to benefit “mutual understanding and respect.” Imagine, if you can, Charles Spurgeon, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, John R. Rice, or James R. White having dialogue sessions with clerics of false religions. Stop the tape! James R. White? I should definitely rewind that statement in…

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“There brake He the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle.”

June 12, 2017

“There brake He the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle.”
Psalm 76:3

Our Redeemer’s glorious cry of “It is finished,” was the death-knell of all the adversaries of his people, the breaking of “the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle.” Behold the hero of Golgotha using his cross as an anvil, and his woes as a hammer, dashing to shivers bundle after bundle of our sins, those poisoned “arrows of the bow;” trampling on every indictment, and destroying every accusation. What glorious blows the mighty Breaker gives with a hammer far more ponderous than the fabled weapon of Thor! How the diabolical darts fly to fragments, and the infernal bucklers are broken like potters’ vessels! Behold, he draws from its sheath of hellish workmanship the dread sword of Satanic power! He snaps it across his knee, as a man breaks the dry wood of a fagot, and casts it into the fire. Beloved, no sin of a believer can now be an arrow mortally to wound him, no condemnation can now be a sword to kill him, for the punishment of our sin was borne by Christ, a full atonement was made for all our iniquities by our blessed Substitute and Surety. Who now accuseth? Who now condemneth? Christ hath died, yea rather, hath risen again. Jesus has emptied the quivers of hell, has quenched every fiery dart, and broken off the head of every arrow of wrath; the ground is strewn with the splinters and relics of the weapons of hell’s warfare, which are only visible to us to remind us of our former danger, and of our great deliverance. Sin hath no more dominion over us. Jesus has made an end of it, and put it away forever. O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end. Talk ye of all the wondrous works of the Lord, ye who make mention of his name, keep not silence, neither by day, nor when the sun goeth to his rest. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

C.H.Spurgeon

SOURCE

9 Comments | Bible Prophecy, Commentary, Helps, LIFE, theology, Words that Uplift | Tagged: | Permalink
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Demons in Norway

May 23, 2017
Steves_AI_Creations Pixabay

I try not to give evil too much publicity but today I feel it is necessary. Are there evil forces in the world?
I don’t think you have to be a believer in the Bible to see the spread of evil across the world in our day. Yet, as a Christian, there are these verses:

“Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

For weeks this blog shared this video at least once a week because I believe we live in a time of great spiritual conflict: (Oops, it has been taken down and it was so good. I will use this one in its place until I find a better one.)

And then came the story of Nadia and Caspian. A young mother had her child stolen by the “Child Protective Services” of Norway.

The situation convinced me even more that the great spiritual conflict that is taking place is worldwide. I spent months following that story as many of you know.

I have used the word “evil” many times both here and on Facebook to describe events going on in Norway. The accuracy of my statements were never in doubt in my mind. Now, I am not only hearing about children being stolen in Norway. There are also stories of strange events like those that accompany demonic activity. I believe they are evil forces. There is no other explanation for the things I am now hearing about in a nation that once held to Christian theology. The interesting thing is, it appears that Christians are not the only ones who recognize this. Things are so bad there that those who aren’t Christians are calling the situation evil. Some who have not really given great thought to spiritual things in the past are noticing strange phenomena that can only be called “spiritual.” It is not a good kind of spirituality. It has all of the characteristics of demonic oppression.

I am not new to this topic. I have posted about it before. It is interesting that a post here that addresses this issue features a Lutheran man. He is a member of the church I grew up in, The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. It is a Christian denomination that holds to Biblical truths better than any other Lutheran group that I’m aware of. It is certainly holding to Biblical truth more than the Lutheran Church of Norway.

The post is called DEMONS IN TODAY’S WORLD. It is a commentary about demonic activity abroad and in the U.S. Christians tend to avoid the issue for many reasons but I believe it will only become more prevalent in the near future. I do not fear because God has already won the battle.

One of the Norwegians whom I respect who has been experiencing these strange occurrences in Norway has mentioned that Psalm 23 has given him comfort.

A Psalm of David.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd,

I shall not want. (I shall not be in want.)

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.

3 He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

What wonderful words: “I fear no evil, for You are with me;”

If you wish to know a bit more about this subject, click on DEMONS IN TODAY’S WORLD. The statements of Dr. Robert Bennett are not radical; they are Biblical.

May the Lord bless and protect my Norwegian friends.

Chris Reimers

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He’s Alive!

April 16, 2017

Published today on Ingrid Schlueter’s “The Hope Blog:”

This is from the 6th Century Christian hymn, “At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing.”

At the Lamb’s high feast we sing,
Praise to our victorious King,
Who hath washed us in the tide
Flowing from his pierced side;
Praise we Him, whose love divine
Gives His sacred blood for wine,
Gives His body for the feast,
Christ the Victim, Christ the Priest.

Where the Paschal blood is poured,
Death’s dark angel sheathes his sword;
Israel’s hosts triumphant go
Through the wave that drowns the foe.
Praise we Christ, whose blood was shed,
Paschal Victim, paschal Bread;
With sincerity and love
Eat we Manna from above.

Mighty Victim from the sky,
Hell’s fierce powers beneath Thee lie;
Thou hast conquered in the fight,
Thou hast brought us life and light;
Now no more can death appall,
Now no more the grave enthrall;
Thou hast opened Paradise,
And in Thee Thy saints shall rise.

Paschal triumph, Easter joy,
Only sin can this destroy;
From sin’s death do Thou set free
Souls reborn, O Lord, in Thee.
Hymns of glory and of praise,
Father, to Thee we raise;
Risen Lord, all praise to Thee,
Ever with the Spirit be.

4 Comments | Commentary, theology, Words that Uplift, worship | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Chris

CHILDREN ABDUCTED BY “CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES”

April 9, 2017

These are true stories, four of which have been covered to different degrees on this blog.

I hadn’t looked at the Baby Aria and her family website for awhile. I found this video at the top of the site today. One of my friends in the effort to educate the world about the horrific problem of child snatching by “authorities,” Ken Olsen, was recently published in a Norwegian media source. His article can be found HERE.

Please continue to pray for Ken, Nadia, Amy, Eugene and others like them.

Chris Reimers

21 Comments | Commentary, Education, News | Permalink
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